MORE THAT $2 MILLION IN COCAINE WASHES UP ON GULF COUNTY BEACH

PORT ST. JOE, Fla. More than 50 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $2.4
million, washed ashore on Indian Pass Beach in southern Gulf County,
authorities said.

A member of the turtle patrol, a group that monitors nesting sites and
turtle populations in Gulf County, found the cocaine Sunday morning,
Sheriff Frank McKeithen said.

The uncut cocaine was wrapped in waterproof plastic and sealed with tape.
The packaging had barnacles on it, indicating it had been in the water for
some time. But McKeithen said there was no way to tell just how long
because barnacles grow fast in the right conditions.

The cocaine, weighing 25 kilograms or roughly 55 pounds, has an approximate
street value of $2.464 million.

"It would not have been good to have this much cocaine on the streets,
obviously," McKeithen said.

McKeithen said investigators will turn the cocaine over to U.S. Customs
agents and monitor area beaches for additional packages. Finding other
packages might help investigators determine the cocaine's origin.--
Information from: The News Herald,